Swan Boats at Four: A Novel - Hardcover

Higgins, George V.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805030778 ISBN 13: 9780805030778

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1995

Synopsis

Aboard a deluxe ocean liner, a middle-aged couple with financial and marital problems are pigeonholed by a charming confidence man with a mission, and the three exchange revealing stories about their lives. 25,000 first printing. $20,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

George V. Higgins teaches creative writing at Boston University.

From Booklist:

You can't blame Higgins for wanting to get away from the old neighborhood, but if you write dialogue, you need to hang with good talkers. Elocution aside, the society types onboard the cruise ship in Higgins' latest novel can't play in the same league with the Beantown lowlifes whose less-than-dulcet tones we've come to love in the author's previous work. Onboard the America is a troubled middle-aged couple, David and Francis Carroll: David's bank is under investigation, and Francis is reeling from her husband's past infidelities. The cruise, from England to the U.S., presents a new challenge: onboard is one of David's former playmates. The action is minimal, but the talk is plentiful, as the Carrolls dine with their tablemate, who may or may not be a con man. Life stories are exchanged, intimacies established, betrayals effected, and thousands of calories consumed. If these characters' commentary on the slow unraveling of their lives feels a bit bloodless in comparison to Higgins' coptalk or crooktalk, we can't help but admire an author who makes jumping from hard-boiled to Henry James look as easy as clearing your throat. Bill Ott

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0805030778
• ISBN 13: 9780805030778
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228